


i do my little lonely dance

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, HE GETS HUGS HAHA, Hurt/Comfort, Number Five | The Boy Deserves Better, Number Five | The Boy Gets A Hug, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy has PTSD, he needs hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: Day 8: isolation/abandonedFive wakes up, alone, in the apocalypse.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947877
Comments: 33
Kudos: 229
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Day 8: isolation/abandoned

Five turned, eyes wide, something inside him breaking, “Wait- _no-_ this isn’t-“ 

But it _was_ . Somehow, he’d gotten his equations wrong. He’d flopped the jump. Instead of taking them back to before, he stood, now, _alone_ , in the ruins of the apocalypse. No. _No_ . He couldn’t be back here- he couldn’t be- he wouldn’t- he _couldn’t_. 

He started forward, looking around frantically, eyes wide.The ball of blue energy crackled in the air behind him. He glanced up at it, eyes wide as he watched it crackle and spark, before, with one particularly bright flash, it vanished into nothing. He was alone.

Where was his family? Had he- had he left them back there in the end times? In the middle of the fragments of the moon slamming into the earth? Had he failed again? 

Five stumbled and ran, gradually picking up speed as he looked around the landscape empty of anyone living. He shouted, desperate, "Diego! _Klaus!_ " Unlike so long ago, unlike the first time he’d fucked everything up, he knew now that Vanya was most likely vaporized, that Ben was dead, that Reginald was gone. He stumbled over bricks and wood, fingers bloodied as he scrambled up the edge of the opera house, ash coating his hair and the familiar taste of it scratching his lungs. He screamed again, eyes wild, voice hoarse, "Allison! Luther!" 

He turned, slipping on the rocks and falling to his knees, " _Anyone!_ " He didn’t get up, slumping instead, everything aching. He pulled at his hair, chest hitching, tears he hadn’t noticed before trailing down his cheeks, terror and horror and a grief so heavy he felt that he could never stand again. It dragged him down as only the fires and ruin of the apocalypse greeted him in response. His voice cracked and broke, “...Anyone?” 

Silence answered him. 

He was alone. 

Again. 

Alone and lost and his powers useless, failing him again and again, dooming his world- dooming his family. 

Five broke, there in the ruins of the opera house, ash falling from the sky, fire burning the ground below, once again utterly and completely alone. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there, tired, mourning his loss until something shook him back into awareness and Five looked up, the wreckage of the world blurred and then- _and then_ . He saw the impossible and _no_ , it _couldn’t_ be, could it? 

Klaus's pale face and wild eyes stared back at him, his hands gripping his shoulders with desperation, "Five! Five, little buddy! Are you okay?" 

Five blinked, mouth opening and closing. He reached out and touched his brother's battered green jacket, feeling soft fabric and warm heat radiating from Klaus’s skin. He gaped, fingers tightening, afraid to let go as he clutched the jacket, "Kl- Klaus? You’re- are you- what- _what?_ " He couldn’t _breathe-_

Klaus's brows furrowed with concern, "What do you mean what happened? We time traveled- which like, wow, okay. I think I threw up everything I ate last week. But anyway uh I don’t remember an apocalypse being back- back wherever we went- we thought you’d know-“ he jerked his head back to Ben behind him who glowed blue and bright.

Ben's brows furrowed at his brother's rambling and Five’s gasps, "Klaus! He’s _panicking_. This isn’t helping!" 

Klaus snapped at him, "Well I’m _trying_ Ben, but if you haven’t noticed-“ 

Five sucked in a breath, one, two. He could hear now, the shouting of people- of his family, so overwhelmingly foreign in the familiar wasteland. Ben turned and waved, "We're over here!" 

The rest of his siblings picked their way across the rubble, he could see the splotch of Vanya's white suit in Luther's arms. They were here. They were fine. But he’d brought them to the apocalypse. He’d brought them to hell. 

A selfish part of him was so glad he wasn’t alone. 

Five couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up out of him, forcing its way past the breathy half-sobs. 

Klaus turned back to him, clearly even more worried at that, “Little Number Five?"

It wasn’t a happy laugh, it was raw and ragged and torn. Five slumped, rocking back on his heels, cackling. Klaus asked quietly, pulling on his arm, keeping him steady, "What’s so funny, Five?"

Five laughed at the moonless sky and the burning hell that had plagued his life for so long, "I've brought my family to hell. I failed to stop the apocalypse. Forty five fucking years, all wasted. And the thing is! The thing is! I’m just so fucking glad I’m not _alone_ this time.” 

Klaus softened, "Oh- Five-“ 

He pulled his brother close, Five startling at the contact, Klaus's grasp desperate, "It’s okay, Five. We've got you." 

Five's laugh turned to a cry of anguish as his brother held him close and let him break. This time, though, they would be there to put back the pieces.

This time, he wasn’t alone. 


	2. Day 27: Extreme Weather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to ignore the fact that Vanya blowing up the moon probably caused a different kind of apocalypse than the first go around

Five pushed Klaus forward, “We need to find shelter, immediately. Get the others together, now.” He tossed back to Luther who was picking his way slowly across the rubble, Vanya limp in his arms, “Hurry up! We need to find a stable building soon.” 

Allison scrambled beside him, Klaus coughing, ash coating their hair. She held up her note book, words hastily scribbled in it, “ _ What is it, Five? _ ” 

Five pointed at the clouds brewing overhead, barely distinguishable from the ash fall, “A storm is coming. I’ve seen these. It’ll be bad, Allison. Everything is burning, which includes all our toxic garbage. It’s affecting the atmosphere.” He looked back, pointing at Diego, “Diego, help Luther! We need to get a move on!” 

He turned back, helping Allison clamber over a particularly large piece of rubble, “The air is full of ash and toxic shit, the world is burning, and the moon is in pieces. It’s acid rain and it hurts like a bitch.” 

Five managed to reach the top of the pile, glancing around, “We were at the opera house, and if I’m remembering correctly…” He pointed, “There's a mall a block down. If I’m remembering right, portions of it will still be standing.” 

Diego huffed, Luther panting as they reached the top of the crater next to them. Diego spoke between breaths, “You really did live through this, didn’t you, Five?” 

Five’s eyes darkened, “Yes. This time is different, though. I know what went wrong now. I know how to fix everything and, more importantly, I know the base equation to return myself home. A few days of alterations and I should be able to get all of us back,” Luther opened his mouth as Five finished with a glower, “... _ without _ looking like teenagers.”

Luther closed his mouth. 

Five nodded and started towards the ruins of the road, the buildings that still stood were battered and worn, leaning ominously, fires burning as the dark clouds grew ominously on the horizon, contributing to the already oppressive cloud cover. 

Klaus asked, “Um, so- why all the clouds anyway?” 

Five snorted, “Soot and ash. It’ll cool the world down too. Plants will die, animals will starve, the sun won't come out for months.” He guided the group around debris, easily picking out unstable places to step with a practiced eye, “Think nuclear winter. Mount Saint Helens but on a larger scale.” 

Klaus swallowed, “Oh.” 

Five clambered over the rocks, eyes lighting up as he saw the mall, “Fuck yes, there it is.” 

He glanced up at the darkening sky, “And not a moment too soon.” 

He led them forward, towards shelter and safety. The rain started pattering against the ground just as they reached the darkened interior. Five led them carefully through, around a gap in the ceiling. They reached a room, what looked to be an old sandwich shop, a gaping hole in one wall that led out into the burgeoning storm. Five headed behind the counter, lips curling as he examined the back of the kitchen, “This should suit us for tonight.” He picked at the sandwiches, “I didn’t jump too far, at least. This stuff is still good.” 

He picked up the wrapped sandwiches and then quickly pocketed a few more. He caught sight of his siblings staring around the destroyed room and he scowled, “What are you guys doing? Get away from the window.” 

Luther started forward, Vanya limp his arms, looking around the trashed kitchen before settling in the corner, gently easing her down. Diego pushed past Klaus and followed suit. Klaus sat by him, Allison scooting over to join Vanya, brows furrowed with concern and worry. Five sighed, sitting on the floor, the rain pattering outside. 

They had a ways to go, but looking at his family, mostly safe and alive, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful- more hopeful than he had in years. As bad as the apocalypse was, his family was still here beside him and, for whatever reason, that was enough. 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is here: https://ford-ye-fiji.tumblr.com/


End file.
